Given name & surname · also Germanic
Lois
“a superior woman”
Lois is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a superior woman.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original GreekΛουίζα
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a superior woman.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In Bavarian usage, Lois is a short form of Alois.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Lois appears in 2 Timothy 1:5, Acts 16:1.
- 2 Timothy 1:5
- Acts 16:1
From biblical name research
Lois through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 335,594
- 2,644 boys · 332,950 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 10,587 babies
- 2025
- 124
- #1,670 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 124 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,670 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 2.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 10,505 in 1927. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 131,667 as a first name in 2020; 840 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lois’s family of names
In Bavarian usage, Lois is a short form of Alois. In Galician usage, Lois shares a linguistic root with the English form Louis. In Galician usage, Lois has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Luis.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Lois has relatives in 9 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
11 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 13
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lois
- Maureen StapletonAmerican actress (1925-2006)
- Lois McMaster BujoldAmerican novelist (born 1949)
- Lois MaxwellCanadian actress (1927–2007)
- Lois LowryAmerican writerborn 1937
- Lois WeberAmerican actor/film director (1879-1939)
- Lois ChilesAmerican actress and model (born 1947)
- Lois SmithAmerican actressborn 1930
- Lois WilsonAmerican actress (1894-1988)
- Lois AbbinghDutch handball playerborn 1992
Characters named Lois: Lois Lane (DC comics), Lois Griffin (the Family Guy franchise), Lois Lane (Smallville).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lois, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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